Flagler honors King's legacy, sacrifice

Published: Monday, January 21, 2013 at 5:32 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, January 21, 2013 at 9:14 p.m.

PALM COAST — Thomas Crawford and his wife took their seats and scanned the church. He saw more young faces than usual.

Monday's ceremony, "The Dream Moves Forward," was a 90-minute celebration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event's theme was remembering and honoring the past while paving the road to a better future.

"This has been very well organized, I'm happy to say," said Crawford, moments before the chorus began singing and the ceremony began. "A lot of youths aren't fully aware of Dr. King, so seeing so many here is a good thing."

The back half of the altar at Mount Calvary Baptist Church was occupied by nearly 50 singers of all ages from various local churches. Hundreds more attended the ceremony, which took place as President Barack Obama was sworn in for his second term.

Guest speaker Kwando M. Kinshasa, a sociology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said he came from a period when "just the idea of having an African-American president was awesome in and of itself."

He acknowledged the "changing landscape" in America but said those who marched for equality, like King, did so because of their willingness to challenge segregation and the status quo. They bravely stood up in the face of character assassination and the threat of violence, Kinshasa said.

"Can we and are we ready to walk in their footsteps?" he asked. "Are we willing to face that?"

After the ceremony, which was organized by the New York City Transit Retirees of Florida Chapter 2, attendees filed out of the church exchanging handshakes and hugs.

"We're recognizing what Dr. King has done for us," said Roy Powell of Palm Coast, who attended Monday's celebration with his family. "We're recognizing his achievements and celebrating how far we've come."

The festivities in Flagler County began Saturday with the annual Day of Celebration. That event featured a parade starting and ending at the Carver Community Center in Bunnell. The daylong observance was capped off with outdoor games, a chili cook-off and more music. On Sunday, a service was held at First Church of Palm Coast.

In Volusia County, people marched in the streets Monday singing "We Shall Overcome" and carrying signs advocating equality and justice.

Ophelia Robinson, 78, remembers the world before anyone had heard of King, and what it was like to live with prejudice. But as dozens of people finished their eggs and sausage inside Allen Chapel AME Church in Daytona Beach and poured into the street for their celebratory march, Robinson was smiling.

"I see a big change," said Robinson, who runs a salon on Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard that marchers streamed past Monday. "I see people communicating better."

While Robinson met King in the 1960s at a college graduation and shook his hand, for Bethune-Cookman University senior Justin Townsel, King is a historical giant he's read about in books and seen in black-and-white footage. But Townsel, who was volunteering with other BCU students during the breakfast, believes in King's vision.

"I feel we're taking the right steps, but there's more to be done," Townsel said. "We need to learn to accept everybody for who they are, and not just with race but gender and sexual orientation. All that's included in civil rights."

In New Smyrna Beach, hundreds marched through downtown, led by two men holding a banner which read "Living the Dream, Let Freedom Ring."

The marchers arrived in Old Fort Park to thunderous applause as King's "I Have a Dream" speech was played over a loudspeaker.

Touching on the broad mix of attendees, the Rev. Charlie Clark of Mount Olive Baptist Church said King was committed to fighting for civil rights for all people.

"Martin marched for all races that injustice had been done to and who did not have equality," he said.

In DeLand, hundreds of people marched nearly two miles from the Rinker Fieldhouse on the Stetson University campus to the Chisholm Community Center.

Clarence "Bo" Davenport, a former DeLand public works director, was one of the organizers of the march.

"It's in my heart to do it," Davenport said. Now 75 years old, he's had a hand in organizing the city's commemorations since King's assassination in 1968.

The march was led by a group of West Volusia faith leaders.

The group of marchers settled in at the Chisholm Center about 11 a.m., just in time to watch the inauguration together.

<p>PALM COAST &mdash; Thomas Crawford and his wife took their seats and scanned the church. He saw more young faces than usual. </p><p>Monday's ceremony, "The Dream Moves Forward," was a 90-minute celebration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event's theme was remembering and honoring the past while paving the road to a better future. </p><p>"This has been very well organized, I'm happy to say," said Crawford, moments before the chorus began singing and the ceremony began. "A lot of youths aren't fully aware of Dr. King, so seeing so many here is a good thing." </p><p>The back half of the altar at Mount Calvary Baptist Church was occupied by nearly 50 singers of all ages from various local churches. Hundreds more attended the ceremony, which took place as President Barack Obama was sworn in for his second term. </p><p>Guest speaker Kwando M. Kinshasa, a sociology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said he came from a period when "just the idea of having an African-American president was awesome in and of itself." </p><p>He acknowledged the "changing landscape" in America but said those who marched for equality, like King, did so because of their willingness to challenge segregation and the status quo. They bravely stood up in the face of character assassination and the threat of violence, Kinshasa said. </p><p>"Can we and are we ready to walk in their footsteps?" he asked. "Are we willing to face that?" </p><p>After the ceremony, which was organized by the New York City Transit Retirees of Florida Chapter 2, attendees filed out of the church exchanging handshakes and hugs. </p><p>"We're recognizing what Dr. King has done for us," said Roy Powell of Palm Coast, who attended Monday's celebration with his family. "We're recognizing his achievements and celebrating how far we've come." </p><p>The festivities in Flagler County began Saturday with the annual Day of Celebration. That event featured a parade starting and ending at the Carver Community Center in Bunnell. The daylong observance was capped off with outdoor games, a chili cook-off and more music. On Sunday, a service was held at First Church of Palm Coast. </p><p>In Volusia County, people marched in the streets Monday singing "We Shall Overcome" and carrying signs advocating equality and justice. </p><p>Ophelia Robinson, 78, remembers the world before anyone had heard of King, and what it was like to live with prejudice. But as dozens of people finished their eggs and sausage inside Allen Chapel AME Church in Daytona Beach and poured into the street for their celebratory march, Robinson was smiling. </p><p>"I see a big change," said Robinson, who runs a salon on Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard that marchers streamed past Monday. "I see people communicating better." </p><p>While Robinson met King in the 1960s at a college graduation and shook his hand, for Bethune-Cookman University senior Justin Townsel, King is a historical giant he's read about in books and seen in black-and-white footage. But Townsel, who was volunteering with other BCU students during the breakfast, believes in King's vision. </p><p>"I feel we're taking the right steps, but there's more to be done," Townsel said. "We need to learn to accept everybody for who they are, and not just with race but gender and sexual orientation. All that's included in civil rights." </p><p>In New Smyrna Beach, hundreds marched through downtown, led by two men holding a banner which read "Living the Dream, Let Freedom Ring." </p><p>The marchers arrived in Old Fort Park to thunderous applause as King's "I Have a Dream" speech was played over a loudspeaker. </p><p>Touching on the broad mix of attendees, the Rev. Charlie Clark of Mount Olive Baptist Church said King was committed to fighting for civil rights for all people. </p><p>"Martin marched for all races that injustice had been done to and who did not have equality," he said. </p><p>In DeLand, hundreds of people marched nearly two miles from the Rinker Fieldhouse on the Stetson University campus to the Chisholm Community Center. </p><p>Clarence "Bo" Davenport, a former DeLand public works director, was one of the organizers of the march. </p><p>"It's in my heart to do it," Davenport said. Now 75 years old, he's had a hand in organizing the city's commemorations since King's assassination in 1968. </p><p>The march was led by a group of West Volusia faith leaders. </p><p>The group of marchers settled in at the Chisholm Center about 11 a.m., just in time to watch the inauguration together.</p><p>Staff Writers Eileen Zaffiro-Kean, Richard Conn and Anthony DeFeo contributed to this report.</p>